DESC:CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This Application is based on and derives the benefit of Indian Provisional Application 202241030098 filed on 25-May-2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The embodiments herein generally relate to center consoles in vehicles and more particularly, to a deformable armrest mounting bracket in a vehicle for reducing head impact of a rear-seat occupant. Further, embodiments herein relate to a method of deforming the deformable armrest mounting bracket for reducing head impact of the rear-seat occupant in the vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[002] Usually, vehicles are provided with a center console, which is located between front seats of the vehicle. The center console includes various features and accessories such as, but not limited to, storage compartments, cup holders, an armrest, and other accessories for improving the comfort of occupants in the vehicle. The armrest in the center console is very helpful in providing support for an occupant’s arm to rest thereon and at times, the armrest acts as a load bearing part during sunroof usage by children while stepping over the armrest. The armrest can reduce the amount of load down to the lower back of the occupant when in a seated posture.
[003] Conventional armrests are mounted on an armrest mounting bracket which is made by joining a plurality of metal frames. The armrest is made of soft foam top and an outer pad. The soft foam top and outer pad of the armrest are affixed to the metallic armrest mounting bracket in order to provide comfort and support for the occupant’s arms. However, the conventional armrests cannot significantly absorb/ transfer impacts during a collision or a crash due to the rigidity of the metallic armrest mounting bracket. For example, the head of the second row occupant may come in contact with the armrest and can cause serious injuries to the occupants in the vehicle. Therefore, the armrest and its mounting bracket should be designed and developed in such in a way that the armrest mounting bracket should be deformable and the head impact level is lesser than the critical or threshold level in the event of collision. Further, the conventional armrest mounting bracket adds additional weight to an overall weight of the vehicle due to its metallic construction.
[004] Therefore, there exists a need for a deformable armrest mounting bracket for a vehicle, which obviates the aforementioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
[005] The principal object of embodiments herein is to provide a deformable armrest mounting bracket in a vehicle for reducing head impact of a rear-seat occupant.
[006] Another object of embodiments herein is to provide a method of deforming an armrest for reducing head impact level of occupant in a vehicle.
[007] Another object of embodiments herein is to provide the deformable armrest mounting bracket, which is lightweight, durable and is inexpensive.
[008] Another object of embodiments herein is to provide the deformable armrest mounting bracket which is unitary in construction.
[009] Another object of embodiments herein is to provide the deformable armrest mounting bracket which can sustain vertical loads and also absorb the impact during a collision of the vehicle in order to reduce the risk of injuries to the occupants in the vehicle.
[0010] Another object of embodiments herein is to provide the deformable armrest mounting bracket which meets the head impact criteria requirement.
[0011] These and other objects of embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with following description and accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0012] The embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0013] Figs. 1a and 1b depict a perspective view of a deformable armrest mounting bracket in a vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0014] Figs. 2a and 2b depict a front view and a side view of the deformable armrest mounting bracket, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0015] Fig. 3 depicts a perspective view of an armrest mounted onto a top cross member of the deformable armrest mounting bracket; and
[0016] Fig. 4 depicts a flowchart of a method of deforming an armrest mounting bracket for reducing head impact level of occupant in a vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0018] The embodiments herein achieve deformable armrest mounting bracket in a vehicle for reducing head impact level of occupant. Further, the embodiments herein achieve a method of deforming an armrest for reducing head impact level of occupant in a vehicle. Furthermore, the embodiments herein achieve the deformable armrest mounting bracket, which is lightweight, durable and is inexpensive. Additionally, the embodiments herein achieve the deformable armrest mounting bracket which is unitary in construction. Moreover, the embodiments herein achieve the deformable armrest mounting bracket which can sustain vertical loads and also absorb the impacts during a collision of the vehicle in order to reduce the risk of injuries to the occupants in the vehicle. Also, the embodiments herein achieve the deformable armrest mounting bracket which meets the head impact criteria requirement. Referring now to the drawings Figs 1a through 4, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.
[0019] Figs. 1a and 1b depict a perspective view of a deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) in a vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. In an embodiment, the deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) includes a left-side wall (102A), a right-side wall (102B), a base member (102C) and at least one top cross member (102D). For the purpose of this description and ease of understanding, the deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) is explained herein below with reference to mounting an armrest (10A), as shown in fig. 3) thereon and the armrest mounting bracket (100) is located in a center console (not shown) of the vehicle in which the deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) is configured to deform thereby absorbing impact energy and reducing head injury to rear seat occupant in an event of collision of the vehicle.
[0020] The base member (102C) extends between the left-side wall (102A) and the right-side wall (102B).
[0021] The left side wall (102A) and the right-side wall (102B) extend vertically from a left side and a right side of the base member (102C) respectively. The left-side wall (102A) is parallel and spaced away from the right-side wall (102B). In an embodiment, each side wall (102A, 102B) includes a plurality of ribs (110), as shown in fig. 1b) which provides rigidity and strength to the corresponding side wall (102A, 102B).
[0022] The top cross member (102D) extends between the left-side wall (102A) with the right-side wall (102B) and is opposite to the base member (102C). The armrest (10A) is hinged onto the cross member (102D) of the armrest mounting bracket (100).
[0023] Figs. 2a and 2b depict a front view and a side view of the deformable armrest mounting bracket (100), according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) further includes a mounting point (104), as shown in fig. 1a, fig. 1b & fig. 2b) having a relief cut-out (106, 108) defined in the left side wall (102A) and the right-side wall (102B). The deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) is mounted onto a vehicle floor through mounting brackets (not shown) using a fastener, at the mounting point (104) of each side wall (102A, 102B). For example, the left-side wall (102A) and the right-side wall (102B) of the armrest mounting bracket (100) are mounted onto corresponding mounting bracket (not shown) which are secured to the vehicle floor. For the purpose of this description and ease of understanding, the mounting bracket which mounts the armrest mounting bracket (100) onto the vehicle floor is considered to be a separate part or an integral part of center console (not shown). The relief cut-out (106, 108) defines a slot (106) of predetermined diameter and a groove (108) having an opening width smaller than the diameter of the slot (106). The groove (108) extends transversely from the slot (106) in a predetermined direction. The relief cut-out (106, 108) of each side wall (102A, 102B) remains undeformed, when the armrest mounting bracket (100) is subjected to predetermined minimum vertical loading. The relief cut-out (106, 108) of each side wall (102A, 102B) allows deformation of the armrest mounting bracket (100) by allowing the fasteners to slide within the groove (108), thereby absorbing an impact energy and preventing head injury to a rear seat occupant in an event of collision. For example, the relief cut-out (106, 108) of each side wall (102A, 102B) allows the fasteners (not shown) to shear the groove (108) thereby facilitating collapse of the armrest mounting bracket (100) in a direction towards the vehicle floor when the rear seat occupant’ head comes in contact with the armrest (10A) during collision of the vehicle. In an embodiment, each the fastener is at least a bolt.
[0024] The deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) is a unitary member which is fabricated such that the base member (102C), the left-side wall (102A), the right-side wall (102B) and the top cross member (102D) are operatively configured to sustain a predetermined minimum vertical loading condition and controllably deform under a predetermined transverse loading condition i.e., the deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) when loaded vertically the armrest mounting bracket (100) remains undeformed, and when the deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) is loaded transversely, the deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) is configured to deform in a controlled manner to prevent head injury to the rear seat occupant.
[0025] In an embodiment, the deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) is made of non-metallic material such as but not limited to plastic. It is also within the scope of the invention to provide the deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) to be made of any other non-metallic material or any other material without otherwise deterring the intended function of the deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) as can be deduced from the description and corresponding drawings.
[0026] Fig. 4 depicts a flowchart of a method (200) of deforming the armrest mounting bracket (100) for reducing head impact level of occupant in a vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The method (200) includes shearing, by a fastener, a relief cut-out (106, 108) defined in a left side wall (102A) and a right-side wall (102B) of the armrest mounting bracket (100), wherein the fastener is disposed within a slot (106, 108) of the relief cut-out (106, 108), step (202). Further, the method (200) includes allowing controllable deformation of the armrest mounting bracket (100) by allowing the fasteners to slide within a groove (108) defined at the relief cut-out (106, 108) of each side wall (102A, 102B) (at step 204).
[0027] The technical advantages of the deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) are as follows. The deformable armrest mounting bracket is lightweight, durable and is inexpensive. The deformable armrest mounting bracket is unitary in construction. The deformable armrest mounting bracket can sustain vertical loads and also absorb the impacts during a collision of the vehicle in order to reduce the risk of injuries to the occupants in the vehicle. The deformable armrest mounting bracket meets the head form criteria requirement.
[0028] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modifications within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
,CLAIMS:We claim,
1. A deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) for a vehicle, said mounting bracket (100) comprising:
a base member (102C);
a left side wall (102A) and a right-side wall (102B) extending vertically from said base member (102C); and
at least one top cross member (102D) extending between said left side wall (102A) and said right-side wall (102B),
wherein,
said left-side wall (102A) and said right-side wall (102B) are connected to a vehicle floor through mounting brackets at a mounting point (104) defined in each of said left-side wall (102A) and said right-side wall (102B) using fasteners; and
said base member (102C), said left-side wall (102A), said right-side wall (102B) and said top cross member (102D) are operatively configured to sustain a predetermined minimum vertical loading condition and controllably deform under a predetermined transverse loading condition.

2. The deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mounting point (104) of each of said side walls (102A, 102B) includes a relief cut-out (106, 108), wherein said relief cut-out (106, 108) defines a slot (106) of predetermined diameter and a groove (108) having an opening width smaller than said diameter of said slot (106), wherein said groove (108) extends transversely from said slot (106) in a predetermined direction; and
said mounting bracket which mounts said armrest mounting bracket (100) onto said vehicle floor is a separate part or an integral part of a center console.

3. The deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fasteners are at least bolts;
an armrest (10A) is hinged to said top cross member (102D);
said deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) is unitary part; and
said top cross member (102D) is opposite to said base member (102B).

4. The deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said relief cut-out (106, 108) of each of side wall (102A, 102B) remains undeformed when said armrest mounting bracket (100) is subjected to said predetermined minimum vertical loading; and
said relief cut-out (106, 108) of each of said side wall (102A, 102B) allows deformation of said armrest mounting bracket (100) by allowing said fasteners to slide within said groove (108), thereby absorbing an impact energy and preventing head injury to a rear seat occupant in an event of collision of said vehicle.

5. The deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base member (102C), said left-side wall (102A), said right-side wall (102B) and said top cross member (102D) are made of non-metallic material, where the non-metallic material is at least plastic.

6. The deformable armrest mounting bracket (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said left-side wall (102A) and said right-side wall (102B) include a plurality of ribs (110) to provide rigidity and strength to said side walls (102A, 102B).

7. A method (200) of deforming an armrest mounting bracket (100) for reducing head impact level of occupant in a vehicle, said method (200) comprising:
shearing, by a fastener, a relief cut-out (106, 108) defined in a left side wall (102A) and a right-side wall (102B) of said armrest mounting bracket (100), wherein said fastener is disposed within a slot (106, 108) of said relief cut-out (106, 108) of each of said side wall (102A, 102B); and
allowing controllable deformation of said armrest mounting bracket (100) by allowing said fasteners to slide within a groove (108) defined at said relief cut-out (106, 108) of each of said side wall (102A, 102B).